Fire, Ice and Spirit
by ThornWolf the Loyal
Summary: Four new Clans, three new apprentices, one new prophecy! StarClan has a special plan for Emberpaw, Frostpaw, and Wolfpaw, the new apprentices of MysticClan. Will they be able to rise up to the challenge? Written by Emberpaw and me! R
1. Chapter 1

My first Warriors fanfic! Yay!!! All the credit for this doesn't belong to just me. I share it with Emberpaw and Frostpaw. Helllooo out theerrreee!!! Thanks a ton to Emberpaw for inspiring me to do this. I'll do my best to make this everything you hoped for!!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, and some of the cats in this story belong to Emberpaw and Frostpaw. **

Chapter 1: Prophecy

_Dark blue eyes peered through the darkness. The she-cat searched for a safe path, but the darkness was so thick, she couldn't find her way. She stepped tentatively forward, hoping the next step wouldn't lead into danger. Every sound caused her muscles to tense beneath her black and silver-striped pelt. _

_She placed another paw forward. She started slightly at the sudden cold and wet sensation of the mud beneath her paw. The ground suddenly started to become warmer and dryer. She took a step back and gazed down. In the gloom, she could just make out her paw print. It started to shift and change into a shape that resembled a heart. Looking closer, two small lights appeared in the center of it: one white and one red. They shaped themselves into the shape of a red flame and a white snowflake. All three started to glow. _

_A bright flash of light forced the she-cat to close her eyes. When she opened them again, the heart, and snowflake were still there, but the entire area was flooded with light. She realized that this light emanated from the strange sight before her. She was suddenly aware of eyes on her and looked up quickly. The clearing was filled with cats, their pelts shining and their eyes like stars. One cat stood and opened his mouth to speak, and although he was the only one who appeared to be talking, the sound echoed around her as though all the cats were speaking in unison. _

_When darkness falls upon the clans, look to fire, ice and spirit to restore the light._

_She closed her eyes again at the sudden brilliance that followed the words of the spirit cats. When she opened them again, she was alone. The heart, the flame, and the snowflake were the only other things in the clearing._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Three New Apprentices 

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet beneath the Great Rock for a clan meeting!" yowled the storm gray she-cat, Aquastar. Her blue-green eyes sparkled, even though there was only a sliver of the moon left in the sky. The cats of MysticClan gathered quickly. A silvery white she-cat stepped forward, with three young she-cats trailing along behind her. They were following along quietly, but excitement glittered in their eyes.

Aquastar stood and nodded to them. "Skysong, you have raised your kits well. You have taught them the warrior code. It is now time that they learn to live it." She smiled down at Skysong, who gently nudged her kits forward. The three kits stood straight and tall, each of them bursting with anticipation.

"Emberkit," Aquastar addressed the orange cat. Her light blue eyes shown brightly in the dark. "From now until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Emberpaw. Shadowfire will be your mentor." The black tom stepped up to his apprentice and touched his nose to hers.

"Wolfkit," Aquastar turned to the dark-brown cat. Wolfkit self-consciously licked at the white wolf-shaped patch of fur on her chest. "You will be known as Wolfpaw until you become a warrior. Rockfire shall be your mentor." The large black-spotted gray tom stepped to his new apprentice and touched her nose as well.

"And lastly, Frostkit," Aquastar said, turning to the last kit. The cat's white tail twitched in nervousness, and her blue pelt looked almost like silver in the dim night. "You have chosen the path of a medicine cat, so your mentor shall be Solarwind." A black she-cat stepped up to her new apprentice, the silver lines on her pelt shining in the moonlight.

"Mentors, pass on all you know to your apprentices," Aquastar nodded to each mentor in turn. She then looked up to the stars and cried up to them, "I ask StarClan to watch over these apprentices on their journey to becoming true warriors!"

A joyous yowl sounded from the rest of the clan as they welcomed the new apprentices. "Emberpaw! Wolfpaw! Frostpaw!"

Wolfpaw groaned when she opened her eyes the next morning. The sunlight filtered in through the branches and directly into her eyes. _Wait a minute, branches?_ She scrabbled to her paws. The nursery wasn't made of branches; it was a cave. Where was she? Wolfpaw almost laughed out loud when she remembered that she was now sleeping in the apprentices' den. A surge of pride filled her. Emberpaw shifted next to her and opened on eye blearily.

"What's going on?" she asked, barely stifling a yawn.

"It's our first day as apprentices, or have you already forgotten that, sleepyhead," Wolfpaw mewed back, amused.

Emberpaw blinked up at her for a second. Then the words registered and she sprung to her paws. "Hey, it is! We are! Let's go see how Frostpaw is."

Wolfpaw nodded, and the two she-cats gingerly stepped around the still sleeping form of Swiftpaw. The tabby tom had been an apprentice for two moons now, and although he wasn't angry about having to share 'his' den, he wasn't exactly thrilled about it either.

Once outside, the two stretched out, working the sleep out of their muscles. Frostpaw emerged from the medicine cat's den and padded over to join them.

"Good morning!" she meowed brightly.

"Morning, Frostpaw," Emberpaw replied. Wolfpaw's nodded, and then turned sharply to look behind her. Winterstorm, a large white tom, and Skysong had left the warrior's and were padding over to the apprentices.

"Good morning, mother," the three mewed. "Hi, Winterstorm."

"Hello, my kits," Skysong replied.

"Mom, we're not kits anymore, we're apprentices," Wolfpaw meowed back, puffing up her chest.

"You will always be kits to me," Skysong laughed as she pulled Wolfpaw in next to her and proceeded to groom her youngest kit.

"Ugh, mom!" Wolfpaw started to protest.

Winterstorm laughed quietly. "Listen to your mother."

Wolfpaw rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. She closed her ice blue eyes and did her best to ignore the quiet snickers that were coming from her sisters. Wolfpaw found it a great relief when Rockfire and Shadowfire entered the clearing.

"Oh, gotta go, mom. See you later!" She bounded over to her mentor and looked up at him with excited eyes. "So what's first? Are we going hunting?"

Rockfire exchanged an amused glance with Shadowfire, then turned his attention to his apprentice. "Later, yes. For now, the elders need to be checked for ticks."

"Rats…"


	3. Chapter 3

In case you're wondering, I've changed my name. I am now Wolfpaw of MysticClan, originally The Thorn Wolf.

Disclaimer: The only things I own are the plot and the characters, some of which actually belong to Emberpaw. Everything else belongs to Erin Hunter.

Chapter 3: Elders 

Emberpaw, who had over heard, came over and flicked her tail lightly over Wolfpaw's shoulder. "Bad luck about the ticks. Want some help?" she asked in a cheerful tone. Remembering that she was in the presence of warriors, she turned her light blue eyes to them and mewed, "If it's alright with you, Shadowfire and Rockfire."

Rockfire tilted his head and looked down at his apprentice. _Such an odd one…_"It's fine by me if it's alright with Shadowfire." He gazed expectantly at his companion.

Shadowfire blinked at his apprentice. "You can go, but I've never met an apprentice who actually wanted to check the elders for ticks. You're…" he trailed off.

Emberpaw smirked at him. "Weird? Yes, I'm weird. Come on, Wolfpaw, let's get those ticks!" With that, she turned and marched over to the elders' den with her tail held high. Wolfpaw shrugged at the two warriors, then scooted to catch up with her sister.

"Thanks for helping. Just for that, I'll take on grumpy old Mossear," Wolfpaw said when she had finally caught up.

"No problem, but I do thank you for taking care of Mossear. She's the worst!"

"Ok, ok, no need to rub it in."

"Sorry."

"Never mind. Let's just get this over with," Wolfpaw sighed and entered the elders' den first with Emberpaw close behind.

It was dark and cool in the den. They could see the still-sleeping form of Turtleshell, the tortoiseshell tom, in the corner. A light-gray she-cat with white legs raised her head and blinked, her large green eyes shining even in the gloom. "Welcome, Wolfpaw and Emberpaw, and congratulations to both of you," she said is a light voice.

"Hi, Mistmoon, how are y-" Wolfpaw started but got cut off by an irritated hiss.

"It's about time you two got here," a brown she-cat said, narrowing her eyes. "Honestly, apprentices these days…"

Wolfpaw groaned inwardly. "Good morning, Mossear."

Mossear shot her a withering glare. "That's nice and all, but will one of you two stop gawking and get over here," she snapped. "I'm pretty sure there's a tick on my back."

Wolfpaw sighed softly. "I've got it." She went over to Mossear and started to inspect her pelt. Emberpaw settled in next to Mistmoon and was about to do the same but Mistmoon stopped her.

"I'm fine," she said gently, "but Turtleshell has been complaining about one behind his ear. I'll wake him, that way you won't startle him." Mistmoon slowly got to her paws. Although she was the newest member of the elders, t was clear that she had stayed as a warrior for as long as possible. She padded to the tortoiseshell and prodded him gently with one paw. "Turtleshell, wake up. The new apprentices are here."

The old tom opened one eye, then the other. He sat up and looked around. "What's all this about pine trees and bees?" he mumbled. His hearing was failing, and it was all the apprentices could do to keep from giggling every time he misheard something. He finally noticed Emberpaw, who was coming over. "Oh, hello, Emberkit, or Emberpaw as you're now known."

She nodded. "Yes, that's me. I came to see if you had any ticks."

"Oh, yes, I've taken quite a few lickings in my life," he replied, glancing down at a scar on his foreleg. "But now isn't the time for battle stories. There's a tick behind my ear. Think you can get it?"

Emberpaw giggled quietly. Mistmoon smiled to herself as she settled back down in her nest again. Wolfpaw had glanced up from her work when Mossear growled at her. "Get back to finding those ticks!"

Wolfpaw looked down again. "There aren't any left," she sighed.

"There has to be more," Mossear snapped as she turned her head to check her pelt. "Oh, I guess there aren't…" She seemed almost disappointed not to be able to yell at Wolfpaw.

"So, do you two enjoy being apprentices?" Mistmoon asked. "I can remember being an apprentice." Her eyes took on the dreamy appearance whenever she was reminiscing about the past. "Checking on the elders was my least favorite job. And, yet, here I am now, with little ones to check on me!" she purred contentedly.

"I don't mind it, but there are so many responsibilities!" meowed Wolfpaw. "I don't know how I'll be able to cope with them all."

Mistmoon smiled gently at her. "Don't worry, you will. I did! You should go now. I'm sure there is much more that you have to do. Come back soon. It warms my heart to see such young cats enjoying life."

"That's what you believe," Mossear muttered as she moved back to her nest in the back of the den. Mistmoon shot her a withering look, but said nothing.

"We promise to come back later," Emberpaw mewed. Wolfpaw nodded in agreement. "Bye."

They were turning to leave when Turtleshell spoke again. "No, I've never seen an alligator…Oh, are you going so soon? Aren't you going to say good-bye to us?"

Wolfpaw suppressed a meow of laughter as she went up to him and spoke directly in his ear. "Good-bye, Turtleshell. We'll come back later, we promise."

"Good-bye, apprentices. I'll be waiting anxiously for you two to come back."

Wolfpaw pressed herself against his side, and he licked the top of her head fondly. She nodded to Emberpaw and they left together, waving their tails in farewell. Just as they exited the den, they heard Turtleshell ask, "Why did Wolfpaw speak right in my ear? It's not as if I'm going deaf!"


	4. Chapter 4

Hi guys! Sorry about disappearing like that. School had me pretty busy…But now I'm back, so everything's cool again…Right?

**Disclaimer: in a fake German accent I know nothing! back to normal I only own characters, some of whom belong the Emberpaw. **

Chapter 4: Kits and Apprentices 

Wolfpaw and Emberpaw exited the elders' den. Wolfpaw stretched her back and meowed, "That was pleasant. Let's go find out what Frostpaw has been –oof!" A small wad of white-striped black fur that barreled into her side broke off her sentence.

"Oops! Sorry, Wolfpaw! I didn't see you there!" the kit mewed.

Wolfpaw smiled down at her. "You mean you weren't looking where you were going, Solarkit." She playfully batted the kit.

Solarkit scuffled her paws in the dirt. "Well yeah…But I'm really glad I bumped into you anyway! Can you teach me how to be an apprentice?"

Emberpaw came up to stand beside Solarkit. "The first thing about being an apprentice is having patience. Don't worry, your day will come."

"But I don't want to wait that long! Can you tell me at least what to expect? Please?"

The sisters exchanged glances. Wolfpaw meowed, "No. You must wait. That's just the way it has to be. We have to go now. We'll talk later. I promise."

The kit sighed dramatically. "Okay, but you better not forget!" She bounced away.

Wolfpaw looked back at Emberpaw. "3-2-1 cue Snowdrift."

"Solarkit! You get back here right now!" the white queen called.

"Yes, mother," Solarkit mewed as she scrambled to her mother and her sister, Icekit.

Wolfpaw and Emberpaw chuckled to themselves as they approached the medicine cat's den. Frostpaw emerged and saw them coming over. She bounded over and nuzzled them. "You guys won't believe this, I'm going to go to Fire Mouth tonight!"

Fire Mouth is a cave set into the side of an inactive volcano. It served as the sacred place for StarClan.

"That's great!" they meowed to their sister.

"I'm really nervous, but really excited, too!"

"That's exactly how I felt on my first trip to Fire Mouth," Solarwind meowed as she came up beside Frostpaw. "You should rest up for the trip."

"Okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Frostpaw said, giving her sisters one last lick before going into the den.

Solarwind watched her go in before turning back to Wolfpaw and Emberpaw. "Don't worry about her. I'll be there to watch over her. You do realize that she won't be able to tell you anything that happens there, right?" They nodded. "Good. We'll see you tomorrow. Good night," she meowed and went into the den as well.

"I hope everything goes well for her," mewed Emberpaw.

Wolfpaw nudged her shoulder. "She'll be fine. Come on. I see Rockfire and Shadowfire. Let's see if we can do anything for them."

They padded over to their mentors. The warriors turned to the apprentices.

"How would you two like to go hunting?" Shadowfire meowed. The apprentices' eyes lit up as they meowed simultaneously, "Yes!"

Rockfire purred with laughter. "Then let's go!"

They padded into the forest. "What do you smell?" Rockfire asked.

Wolfpaw and Emberpaw opened their mouths to better catch the scents. "I smell…a mouse!" Wolfpaw whispered, quickly pinpointing where it was. She dropped into a crouch and slowly crept toward it. She paused. The mouse raised its head, but before it could run, she pounced on it.

"Well done!" Rockfire praised his apprentice. "Now cover it up. We'll come back later for it." As Wolfpaw did this, Shadowfire turned to his own apprentice.

"What do you smell?"

Emberpaw seemed thoughtful. "I smell…Twolegs!" she yowled suddenly. Three Twolegs came out from the bushes and ran toward the cats.

"Run!" Rockfire shouted, rather needlessly, seeing as how they already were doing so as fast as they could. But while Rockfire and Shadowfire turned and climbed up a tree, the two apprentices, in their terror, ran away from them and the camp.

"No!" Shadowfire yowled. "You'll get lost!" But it was too late. Wolfpaw and Emberpaw were too far away to turn back, and the Twolegs were chasing them anyway.

They kept running even after the Twolegs had stopped their pursuit. When they finally stopped, they were in an area they had never seen before. They looked around, confused.

"Where are we?" Wolfpaw mewed.

Emberpaw flicked her tail against Wolfpaw's side. "I don't know. But we'll find a way to get home!"

They wandered around for a while, but they couldn't find anything that looked familiar. The sun was starting to set. Unfamiliar shadows stretched out towards them. "Or maybe not tonight…" Emberpaw mewed quietly.

"Let's find a place to spend the night," Wolfpaw suggested.

They padded over to a low bush and crawled under it. It was a little warmer under it, and it was more sheltered than just sleeping under a tree. They curled up together. They were so tired from running that they promptly fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors…I hate having to do this…I'm not putting this in anymore…You'll just have to take my word for it…

Chapter 5: Dreams 

Frostpaw and Solarwind were waiting at the meeting point for the other medicine cats to arrive. Frostpaw moaned softly. Solarwind looked at her. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"I-I don't know. I feel as though my sisters are in trouble of some sort." She looked up at her mentor with sorrowful eyes.

Solarwind licked the top of Frostpaw's head comfortingly. "As long as they're together, I'm sure that they're just fine. They're a lot stronger than you realize. Just like you." She smiled down at the young she-cat, and then looked up towards the trees. A gray and white she-cat emerged from the forest. The MysticClan cats got to their paws.

"Hello, Solarwind. Who is this?" the she-cat asked, focusing her piercing gold eyes on Frostpaw.

"Hello Waterlily. This is my apprentice, Frostpaw. Frostpaw, this is Waterlily, the medicine cat of MoonClan."

"Hello," mewed another cat that had come up. This one was a small red-gold she-cat. "I am Littleflame of NightClan," she said, turning to Frostpaw. She dipped her head in respect, and then turned to the forest again. Two cats emerged from the forest: a creamy-white she-cat and a ginger tom with a white paw.

"Sorry we're late. So you're the new apprentice," the she-cat said to Frostpaw, who merely nodded. "I'm Dandelionpuff."

The tom stepped forward. "And I'm Whitepaw, her apprentice. Is this your first time to Fire Mouth?"

"Yes," Frostpaw meowed.

"Well, you're in for an awesome experience!" Dandelionpuff fixed her golden eyes on him. He shrank a little bit, and said, "I mean, welcome."

Littleflame turned to the mountains. "Now that we're all here, we should go." They set off in silence. Whitepaw brushed his shoulder against Frostpaw and gave her a reassuring smile.

After a short while, they could see the volcano rising up before them. Up at the very top, they could see a red glow. They stopped for a moment.

"You and your apprentice should go first, Solarwind," Waterlily meowed. The rest meowed in agreement.

"Frostpaw, because this is your first trip into Fire Mouth, you will sleep in top of the Onyx stone that is in the center of the cave. Okay?" Solarwind looked Frostpaw, who nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."

They entered, Solarwind going in first, followed by Frostpaw, Dandelionpuff and Whitepaw, Littleflame, and Waterlily. The tunnel was dark, and cold. But the deeper they went in, the warmer it got. It reminded Frostpaw of being curled up next to her mother. The tunnel suddenly opened up into a cavern. The walls glowed red, a gentle, pulsing glow. It seemed as though the volcano had a heartbeat all of its own. Solarwind approached a large black rock that sat in the center of the cave. She nodded to Frostpaw, who climbed up onto it. It was an odd mix between fiery warmth and icy coldness. She curled up and the other cats pressed their noses against the onyx's base. She quickly fell into a deep sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the cave, but curled up in a field. All around her, misty forms of cats stood, their eyes shining like stars. As she got to her paws, one who was different from all the others stepped forward; a large red-brown tom with eyes such a light shade of blue, they seemed almost white. When he spoke, his voice was deep but gentle.

_Welcome, Frostpaw. It is so good to finally see one of my daughters._

"Daughter?! You're my father?"

_Yes, my little one. Although, perhaps you are not so little anymore, _he meowed with a chuckle. _I am Moonseeker. I have been watching you and your sisters for so long, and now I finally get to meet you. But now is not the time for memories. A new kind of danger is coming to the forest. The only hope of the Clans lies with you and your sisters._

"Us! But, we're not even warriors yet! What can we do?"

_You will see soon enough, my daughter. Each of you have a different gift that will help you save the forest. The plan has already been set in motion due to the disappearance of your sisters._

"Are my sisters alright?"

_Yes. Do not fear for them. But be prepared tomorrow._

"Be prepared for what?"

_That is something I cannot reveal to you yet. But no matter how strange it will sound, you must be ready for it. It will be vital to the survival of the forest. Help those who you normally would not, and be ready for help from those who you would never expect it from. _With that, Moonseeker stepped forward and touched his nose to the top of Frostpaw's head.

She awoke suddenly. She was back in the cave, still curled up on top of the onyx stone. The other cats around her were starting to get up. She leapt lightly down from the top of the stone and padded over to Solarwind. Her mentor looked around at the others, nodded, then turned to the tunnel. The other medicine cats followed Solarwind and Frostpaw out of the cave and into the cool night air.

"I will see you all again at the next gathering," Waterlily mewed. The others murmured their goodnights and good-byes, and then turned for home.

Moonseeker's words echoed in Frostpaw's head. Instead of clearing up all her questions, they only added more. _I guess I'll just have to wait and see_, she thought to herself.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: FirePack 

A warm breeze passed by Emberpaw's cheek. It went away, and then it happened again. She opened her eyes to find herself looking at a giant nose. With a screech, she leapt for the bush and whirled to face the animal again. The nose was attached to a long muzzle, which was attached to a big head. She had to look way up at the animal. It looked like a dog, but it was much different from any dog she had ever seen before.

"It's a WOLF!" she yowled at the top of her lungs. Wolfpaw stumbled out from underneath the bush and froze at the sight of the large black wolf that now stood before them. It turned to look at her, and then it growled something at her. Much to Emberpaw's surprise, Wolfpaw replied in much the same way. Both her sister and the wolf looked equally amazed by it.

"What's going on?" Emberpaw wailed at her sister.

"I don't know," Wolfpaw cried back. "He asked me who we were, and I told him. I don't know how I knew what he was saying!"

The wolf had regained his composure and growled at her again. _"Well, Wolfpaw of MysticClan, I am Blackfire, alpha of FirePack." _

"_Are you going to attack us?" _she replied. She ignored her sister's wide-eyed stare.

"_No. But I need your help. Come with me." _He whirled and loped into the bushes. Wolfpaw followed immediately. Emberpaw stuttered for a moment, then scurried to catch up.

Blackfire stopped in a clearing. Other wolves gathered around to see the cats that now walked into their camp, unharmed by their alpha. He stopped near a light-brown she-wolf, who sat staring down at a small gray pile of fur. He looked at Wolfpaw and spoke to her again, _"My mate, Birdwing, and I have been worried about our son, Graypup. He is ill, and even our healing wolf doesn't know how to cure it. Please, tell me, do you know? Can you heal him?" _

Blackfire's eyes were full of sadness and hope. Wolfpaw looked back at the pup again. _"I don't know how to heal him, but perhaps our medicine cats will know how to. But, we are lost and don't know how to get back to our territory."_

"_Do not worry about how to get back. Whiteflower, should be able to get you there. She has the best nose of all the pack. Whiteflower!" _A small white she-wolf stepped forward. _"Help this cat find her way back to her pack so she can find a cure for my son's illness." _The she-wolf nodded and beckoned to Emberpaw to follow her. Blackfire fixed his eyes on Wolfpaw again. _"You will stay here so you will not leave us without helping us."_

Wolfpaw swallowed hard, and turned to her sister. "You have to follow Whiteflower. Supposedly she can find the way back to the camp. Blackfire won't let me come with you, but I have faith that they won't hurt us. Now hurry!"

Emberpaw nodded and turned to follow the she-wolf. She glanced back one last time at her sister and then disappeared into the bushes.

Blackfire looked down at Wolfpaw again. _"Tell me about your Pack. I am curious about your kind."_

"_Well, first off, we don't live in packs, we live in Clans…"_

----------

Emberpaw raced into the MysticClan camp, out of breath. She had never run that fast before in all her life. "Frostpaw! Solarwind!" she yowled.

The two medicine cats came bounding out of their den, along with Aquastar and Hawkwing, the clan deputy. All four cats skidded to a halt when they saw the white she-wolf standing behind Emberpaw. Aquastar was about to call for her warriors when Emberpaw cut her off. "Wait! No, she's a friend. I don't have much time to explain, but there is a sick pup in their pack."

Aquastar narrowed her eyes. "How do you know? And what does this have to do with us?"

"I don't know, but Wolfpaw somehow can understand them."

Frostpaw gasped as Moonseeker's words came back to her. _Each of you have a special gift…_

Emberpaw glanced at her, but continued on. "And they won't let Wolfpaw leave until I have brought back help for this pup. Please, Solarwind, you and Frostpaw have to help!"

The medicine cats looked at Aquastar, who closed her eyes and sighed. "You may go only if I can come along."

Emberpaw looked up at Whiteflower and pointed at Solarwind, Frostpaw, and Aquastar with her tail. The she-wolf thought for a second, then nodded and turned, ready to go.

Aquastar turned to Hawkwing. "You are in charge until I get back." Her deputy nodded. The four cats followed the she-wolf into the forest.

----------

Wolfpaw and Blackfire looked up to the rustling of bushes and Whiteflower and the Clan cats entered the camp. Frostpaw and Emberpaw rushed over to their sister while the two adult cats stood back.

"Are you alright?" Frostpaw asked Wolfpaw worriedly.

"I'm fine. Actually, Blackfire and I have been having a very interesting conversation." She looked at Solarwind. "Come this way. Their pup, Graypup is over here." Solarwind and Frostpaw followed her over to the ill pup. His mother still sat nearby, but didn't try to stop them from coming to her pup. As they examined him, Wolfpaw told Aquastar and Emberpaw all that she had learned.

"Like us, they have four Packs: FirePack, OceanPack, MountainPack, and ForestPack. Their version of StarClan is SpiritPack. The Pack leaders, or alphas, take on the Pack name when they become alpha. So before Blackfire became alpha, he was known as Blacknight. In all, the wolves aren't that different from us."

Aquastar looked down at the apprentice. "How do you know their language?"

Wolfpaw paused. "I-I don't know. I just…do. Blackfire spoke to us, and somehow, I knew what he was saying."

Solarwind came up beside them. "The pup seems to have some form of greencough. Wolfpaw, ask the wolf if they know where we can find some catmint."

Wolfpaw nodded and approached Blackfire. _"Our medicine cats need to find Catmint to help your son." _Blackfire looked at her with a confused expression. _"Catmint is very leafy, strong smelling, and has purple flowers."_

"_Ah, yes, I know what you are talking about. There should be some outside the camp. I'll have Snowpebble get you some." _He trotted over to a white and gray wolf, who soon raced out of the camp. He camp back a few moments later and brought it over to Frostpaw, who had been sitting beside Graypup, trying to keep him calm. Frostpaw chewed it into a pulp and tried to give it to the pup. He refused it, but his mother thought Frostpaw was trying to hurt her son. She stood up, hackles raised, and growled.

"_No! Don't worry, Birdwing," _Wolfpaw yelped in wolf, racing over. _"It will help him, I promise." _She took the pulp from her sister and tried to give it to the pup. _"Please eat it. I know it tastes horrible, but it will help you get better. And then you can go back to playing and chasing butterflies and all sorts of fun things. Please eat it."_

To her delight, the pup opened his mouth slightly. She quickly got the catmint down the pup's throat before he could change his mind. He made a face, but didn't fuss about it. Solarwind stepped up and started to massage his side to help to remedy to take effect. In a few moments, he raised his head, weakly but at least it was up, and looked around. His parents gave excited yips and nuzzled their son.

"Tell them to give him this same remedy for the next few days," Solarwind said. Wolfpaw quickly relayed this.

Blackfire and Birdwing turned to the cats. _"Thank you, cats of MysticClan. If you ever need help, please call upon us," _Birdwing said.

Aquastar approached the black wolf for the first time. She looked directly into his eyes. Some unseen message passed between them. Then she nodded and turned to her Clanmates. "Let's go. Emberpaw, do you know they way home."

"Yes."

"Then let's go." The Clan cats left FirePack's camp. Wolfpaw glanced over her shoulder one last time before following them out.

"Frostpaw, how did you know what to do with the catmint? I haven't taught you that yet," Solarwind asked in amazement.

"I just knew what to do. The same way Wolfpaw knew their language. It was second nature."

Her eyes went wide. _The gifts! Mine is truly healing, and Wolfpaw's is wolf-speak. _

"Frostpaw, are you okay?" Emberpaw asked.

"I'm fine." _But what is Emberpaw's gift?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Premonitions

"Good catch!" meowed Rockfire. Wolfpaw had just caught a thrush without it detecting her.

Emberpaw's ears twitched and she looked over to her left. She fell into a hunter's crouch and stepped towards a bush. The others fell silent and watched her, standing as still as they could. They could see the vole she had sensed looking for seeds in the grass, paying no mind to the hunter that was right behind her.

A few paces away, Emberpaw stopped. She prepared herself to pounce when suddenly, her limbs went stiff and straight. The sudden movement startled the vole into running. "What are you doing?" cried Shadowfire, but Emberpaw didn't respond. The mentors and Wolfpaw jumped in front of Emberpaw, but she didn't even flinch.

"Emberpaw?" Wolfpaw asked. Her sister didn't even blink. She stood stock still staring into the distance, her eyes empty and emotionless. "Emberpaw!" she shouted into her sister's ear, but there was still no response.

-----

_The air surrounding her was cold. Massive dark shapes lumbered around her. She could see the flash of long white teeth and heartless yellow eyes. A roar of fury rose up from the great beasts as the charged forward, away from her. She raced after them. A yowl of fear resounded all around her. She could see the forms of cats being grabbed by those ferocious jaws. The monsters continued their attack, unheeding of the cats clawing at their fur. "Help us!" a single distinguishable cry rose above the chaos. Fear clawed at her heart as she recognized the voice. Wolfpaw's voice! She scanned the area for her sister, but couldn't see her. She longed to race into the fray, but her paws wouldn't move. She tried to answer her sister's call, but no sound would come out of her mouth. 'StarClan, save us,' she thought. From behind her, she heard a snarl. She twisted her head to see more shapes running out of the forest. Fear gripped her heart for an instant, but it faded. These shapes were familiar somehow…She looked ahead again to see one of the monsters lunge at her, its fangs bared and its claws stretched out towards her. _

-----

"Aaghh!" Emberpaw cried. Her legs gave out beneath her.

"Emberpaw!" Wolfpaw cried. She pressed her nose into her sister's fur.

"What happened?" Shadowfire asked. Emberpaw's eyes were wide open. She was breathing hard.

"Let's get her home. Maybe Solarwind will know how to help her," Rockfire suggested. "Wolfpaw, you go on ahead and tell Solarwind what happened." The apprentice nodded and with one final glance at her sister, took off to MysticClan camp.

-----

Solarwind and Frostpaw were waiting by the entrance when the warriors entered the camp with Emberpaw between them. Her breathing had slowed, but fear still shone in her eyes. Frostpaw went to her.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Her sister just looked at her. The words finally registered, and she simply shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it. Not yet," she said in a raspy voice.

Solarwind padded up. "Frostpaw, get her some water. Come, Emberpaw. Let's go to my den." She allowed Emberpaw to lean against her as they made their way to her den. Frostpaw raced off to the stream with some moss.

Winterstorm and Skysong entered the medicine cat's den.

"What has happened to my niece?" demanded Winterstorm.

"Emberpaw? Emberpaw, what's wrong?" Skysong asked, licking her daughter's ears.

"Please, let her rest," Solarwind said gently. She pushed the concerned cats out of the den. Wolfpaw was sitting outside, trying to peak in. Skysong sat down and pulled her closer. She started to nervously wash her kit. As much as she understood her mother's worrying, she couldn't help thinking, _Why am I always the one she washes?_

"What happened?" Aquastar asked as she came over.

"I don't know. She kept mumbling about monsters all the way back," Shadowfire replied.

Frostpaw pushed past them and into the den, carrying the water soaked moss. She emerged a few moments later. "Solarwind gave her some poppy seeds to calm her down. Don't worry. She says you should go get some rest." The group reluctantly left and scattered through the camp. Frostpaw stood there for a few moments, then turned and re-entered the den.

Emberpaw was curled up next to Solarwind. The medicine cat looked up at her apprentice. "Please come talk to her. She refuses to even acknowledge that I'm even here. What ever happened scared her out of her mind."

Frostpaw crouched next to her sister. "Emberpaw?" She turned her head and looked directly into Frostpaw's eyes. Emberpaw's eyes were full of sheer terror. "Please, tell me what happened."

Emberpaw took in a shuddering breath. "It was horrible," she said in a shaking voice. "Those monsters attacked the Clan. Not just ours, but all of the Clans. They wouldn't stop. But then others came."

"Were they on our side?" Frostpaw asked quietly.

"I don't know. Please don't make me think about it any more. It's too horrible!"

"Shh. It's okay. You're safe now," Solarwind said. "Get some rest now. We won't leave you." She started to groom the apprentice. Emberpaw's breathing slowed as she fell asleep.

"What do you think of this?" Frostpaw asked.

Solarwind looked up. "I'm not sure of what to make of this. All I can hope for is that we will be able to stand up to this horror."

Both of them fell silent as they watched Emberpaw, waiting for any sign that this vision had returned to haunt her sleep. _StarClan, what is going to happen now? _Frostpaw thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Of Warriors and Friends 

The moon glided silently through the sky. A few days had passed since Emberpaw's vision, and although she had recovered from the shock, the memory remained vivid in her mind. But now was not the time to brood over visions. She new that. She and Wolfpaw sat silently outside the apprentices' den. They looked expectantly to Great Rock, occasionally glancing back at the den. Blackstone padded over to them. He nodded to them.

"May all cats old enough to catch their prey gather beneath the Great Rock for a Clan meeting," Aquastar yowled. Cats made their way quickly to the base of the rock. Emberpaw and Wolfpaw went and sat near the medicine cat's den where Frostpaw was. Swiftpaw emerged from the apprentices' den and started toward the Great Rock with Blackstone at his side. Aquastar jumped down from the top and stood, silently waiting. Hawkwing joined her. Although the black and gray deputy tried to look impassive, pride shown through his eyes. The naming a new warrior always seemed to break through his tough exterior.

"Swiftpaw, you have been under the watchful eye of Blackstone," began Aquastar. "You have learned much from him. Blackstone, do you feel that Swiftpaw is ready to become a warrior?"

The large black tom dipped his head. "I do."

Aquastar turned to Swiftpaw. "Are you ready to take on all the responsibility of a warrior?"

Swiftpaw looked up, his eyes full of determination. "I am."

"Then, I give you your warrior name. From now on, you will be known as Swiftwind. Never forget what you have learned. I ask that StarClan watch over you and guide your paw steps."

"Swiftwind! Swiftwind!" cried the entire Clan. Swiftwind beamed at them, silently accepting congratulations. As cats entered their dens, he padded to the camp entrance for his silent vigil.

Emberpaw and Wolfpaw entered their den and curled up in their nests. Wolfpaw looked over at the empty nest that had once belonged to Swiftwind. "You know, I'm going to miss the sound of his snoring."

Emberpaw let out a purr of laughter. "Let's get some rest."

-----

Three days had passed since Swiftwind's warrior ceremony. Emberpaw and Wolfpaw were sharing some fresh-kill when Rockfire padded over.

"Emberpaw, Shadowfire wants to practice some fighting techniques with you." Emberpaw nodded, finished her mouse, and padded off to the training hollow to meet her mentor. Rockfire turned to Wolfpaw. "Aquastar asked me to lead a patrol. Swiftpaw and Winterstorm are coming, too. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Wolfpaw said, quickly finishing her vole. She padded over to the camp entrance with Rockfire to join Swiftwind and Winterstorm.

They headed out to the eastern border then followed it north. Wolfpaw shuddered as they passed by the area where the Twolegs had attacked her. Rockfire fell back next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Just remembering…things…" Her voice drifted off as a familiar scent met her nose. Looking to her left, she saw the tip of a gray tail go by through the trees. She started toward it.

"Where are you going?" Swiftwind and Winterstorm turned around to see what was going on.

Wolfpaw ignored them. Taking a chance, she growled in a way they had never heard before. It wasn't angry; in fact, it sounded more like she was trying to talk to something. _"Graypup? Is that you?"_

The bushes rustled and a small gray wolf emerged. Looking down, he caught sight of Wolfpaw. With a yip of excitement, he pranced over to her. _"Wolfpaw, it is good to see you!" _Two more wolves came out of the bushes. One was a white and gray she-wolf, and the other was a large black and white wolf.

"_What is it, Grayfrost?" _asked the black and white wolf.

"Wolfpaw, what is going on?" asked Winterstorm. Wolfpaw glanced back at him and grinned. Then she turned back to the gray wolf.

"_Grayfrost?" _Wolfpaw asked.

He nodded. _"It's my new name. It's in honor of Frostpaw, who saved my life. Although, I still would be dead if it wasn't for your ability to understand us." _He turned to the other wolves. _"Snowpebble, you remember Wolfpaw, right?"_

The she-wolf nodded. She turned to the black and white wolf. _"Stormcloud, this is Wolfpaw. She and her sister's saved Grayfrost's life."_

"Wolfpaw, tell me what's going on right now!" meowed Rockfire.

"Rockfire, when Emberpaw and I got lost, we met a wolf pack, FirePack. One of their pups, Graypup, or Grayfrost as he's known now, was sick. We saved him. The other two are Snowpebble and Stormcloud." Turning to the wolves, she said, _"These are my Clanmates: Winterstorm, Swiftwind, and Rockfire." _Remembering how FirePack named their leaders, she added, "_Rockfire isn't our leader. Aquastar is."_

The wolves nodded.

"We should get going," Winterstorm said. "There's still a lot of territory to cover."

"_We must go now, Grayfrost. It was good to see you again," _Wolfpaw said.

"_Goodbye. Remember what my father promised. If you ever need help, don't be afraid to call on us. You may need it soon," _Grayfrost replied.

Wolfpaw nodded, and the wolves disappeared into the forest. She turned to see the others staring at her. "What can I say? It's a gift."

"What did he tell you?" Swiftwind asked.

"He said it was good to see me again, and that if we ever needed help, we could call on them," she replied. She decided to keep Grayfrost's last sentence a secret. She couldn't believe they would attack MysticClan, or any of the other Clans, but those words were terrifyingly ominous.

"Did you tell them anything about us?" meowed Rockfire.

"Nothing other than names. Don't worry; they are beings of their word. I know it. Their leader's mate, Birdwing, said that they were willing to help us herself," she said, getting defensive.

"Take it easy," Winterstorm said. "I don't doubt them either. After all, they could have attacked us if they wanted to, but they didn't. I believe Wolfpaw."

Wolfpaw looked up at her uncle with gratitude. Rockfire nodded in agreement, but Swiftwind still seemed uncertain.

The patrol carried on along the border, but Grayfrost's words weighed down Wolfpaw's mind. _You may need it soon…What does he mean?_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: An Interrupted Gathering

"Emberpaw!" Wolfpaw padded up to her sister. "While on patrol today, we saw Grayfrost!"

Emberpaw looked up from her vole. "Who's Grayfrost?"

"It's Graypup. He received a new name. He chose that one to honor Frostpaw. I'll go tell her."

"Wait for me!" Emberpaw mewed, gulping down the last few bites.

They trotted towards the medicine cats' den. Frostpaw was curled up in a ray of sunlight. "Frostpaw, wake up!" Emberpaw mewed, prodding her with one paw.

Frostpaw opened up one eye lazily. "What do you want?"

"Remember Graypup? He has taken a new name in honor of you. He's now called Grayfrost," Wolfpaw meowed.

"Wow," Frostpaw mewed. "That's all I can say." Her sister's nodded in agreement.

Aquastar padded up. "Tonight is the Gathering. Frostpaw, you and Solarwind are coming of course. Emberpaw and Wolfpaw, you and your mentors are coming too. Get some rest. It's quite the trip to Four Rocks."

As she left to tell the others who had been chosen to go, Wolfpaw turned excitedly to Emberpaw. "Our first Gathering! I can't wait to go! Emberpaw?" Emberpaw was looking straight ahead with eyes that seemed to be staring into nothingness. Wolfpaw poked her sister. "Emberpaw?"

Emberpaw started and blinked at her. "Oh, yeah, great…" Dark thoughts filled her mind as her most recent vision came back to her. This one she hadn't told anyone about.

Clouds covered the moon suddenly. The air was cold. Many cats, some from other clans, milled around her, uneasy. A yowl of terror rose up and a deafening roar rang through the clearing. The stench of blood and fear scent flooded her senses. She looked frantically around for Wolfpaw. "Help us!" Wolfpaw's screech rose above the noise of the chaos. She leapt into the battle between the enormous monsters and terrified cats. She whirled to come face to face with one of the monsters. Drool dripped from its fangs, or was it blood? It lunged for her. Emberpaw tried to move, but she couldn't. Another form shoved her out of the way, and the monster's jaws closed around it instead. It tossed the body to the side and turned to renew its attack. Just then a howl sounded through the clearing, and a sleek gray body landed on the monster's back. Emberpaw cried out, "Wolfpaw! Where are you?"

----

Aquastar led the selected cats of MysticClan to the edge of the clearing. Swiftwind and Skysong were there along with the three mentors and their apprentices and the deputy Hawkwing. Looking down into it, Frostpaw could see Waterlily, Dandelionpuff and Whitepaw, and Littleflame talking to each other. Aquastar gave the signal with her tail, and MysticClan raced down into the clearing. Meows of greetings rose up from the cats that had already arrived.

Aquastar joined the three leaders, and Hawkwing followed to meet what Frostpaw presumed to be the other deputies. She and Solarwind went to see the other medicine cats, leaving Emberpaw and Wolfpaw sitting alone.

"You must be new here," a cheerful voice mewed from behind them. Emberpaw and Wolfpaw turned to see a silvery she-cat with a dark gray tom on one side and a gold spotted she-cat on the other. "I'm Silverpaw, from MoonClan."

"Sootpaw, SunClan," the tom said.

"Don't mind him. He doesn't talk much," the spotted she-cat mewed. "I'm Leopardpaw of NightClan, by the way."

"I'm Emberpaw, and this is Wolfpaw. We're MysticClan cats," Emberpaw meowed.

"You probably don't know who the leaders or the deputies are yet. NightClan's leader is Falconstar, and our deputy is Snakescale," Leopardpaw said.

"Riverstar and Stormcloud are MoonClan's leader and deputy," Silverpaw mewed.

"And Lionstar and Sagestreak belong to SunClan," finished Sootpaw.

"Wow, that's the longest sentence you've ever said," Silverpaw purred teasingly.

A yowl rang out across the clearing. The leaders had climbed to the top of Four Rocks, which was a larger boulder that was joined at the bottom but split into four separate parts at the top.

A blue-gray she-cat spoke first. "MoonClan has a new warrior. Thunderpaw has earned his warrior name, Thunderclap." A dark gold tom dipped his head. Riverstar looked down at her deputy, a black and white tom, and nodded to him.

Stormcloud stepped forward. "We found a fox on our territory recently. But we managed to drive it out. It may have crossed into SunClan," he added, looking up at a dark gold leader with a think ruff around his neck.

"SunClan has not found any traces of a fox, but we will keep a lookout for it," Lionstar said. "Oceantide has retired to the elder's den. SunClan honors her service to the Clan." The light gray deputy, Sagestreak, nodded her agreement.

The large gray-brown leader of NightClan spoke next. "Midnightflower has given birth to three strong kits." A few cats congratulated Snakescale, a brown tom, who they knew was the father. The deputy fluffed up with pride at the thought of his kits.

Aquastar's turn had come. "MysticClan has three new apprentices: Frostpaw who is training to be a medicine cat, and Emberpaw and Wolfpaw." Silverpaw nudged them with a smile as murmurs of congratulations surrounded them. Aquastar looked across to Wolfpaw. Wolfpaw nodded slightly, and Aquastar continued. "MysticClan has discovered that we share a border with a wolf pack." Meows of surprise and worry sprang up. "They seem to be peaceful and have not caused us trouble."

"You are friends with _wolves_?" hissed Falconstar.

"They are related to dogs. You know that, right?" Lionstar looked at her quizzically.

"Yes, we realize that, but they have given us no reason to be afraid of them," Aquastar said defensively.

"How do you know this?" meowed Riverstar.

Aquastar took a deep breath and looked at Wolfpaw. "Would you like to tell them?"

Wolfpaw nodded and stood up. "For some reason, StarClan has given me the ability to understand the wolves." The cats gasped in shock.

Rockfire steeped forward to stand beside his apprentice. "I have seen her speaking with them. Although I cannot understand what is being said, nothing in the wolves behavior suggests that they are hostile."

Meows of confusion came from all around them.

"You can't support this, Aquastar!" snarled Snakescale.

Clouds suddenly covered the moon. "You've angered StarClan!" shrieked one cat.

A terrible roar resounded through the clearing. The clouds suddenly passed by the moon to reveal large beasts advancing on the cats, their cold yellow eyes glittering in the dark. Emberpaw's eyes went wide with horror as she recognized the monsters from her visions. A yowl of pure terror rose from every cat. "Bears!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Howdy! This one took a while to write. Just as a forewarning, there is violence in this chapter. This one might be rated a little higher than PG, but it isn't quite to the point of being PG-13. It's safe to read, but just realize that there is bloodshed.** Chapter 10: Battle at Four Rocks 

The Clan cats shook off their fear and faced the terrible menaces as they advanced into the clearing. They sprang at their opponents with a yowl of fury. They clawed at narrow yellow eyes, and bit into the ears and paws of the giant bears. SunClan cats fought side by side with MoonClan cats, MysticClan cats with NightClan cats. Emberpaw leapt onto one bears back and bit into its shoulder, but the bear shrugged her off like she was nothing more than a fly. She hit the ground hard and rolled, coming back up into a fighter's position. From the corner of her eye, she saw the tabby pelt of Swiftwind race up the slope and into the forest. _Let him be bringing help and not just running in fear, _she silently prayed to StarClan as she raced to the aid of Silverpaw.

-----

Swiftwind had never run so fast before in his life. Sharp thorns bit into his paws, but he pushed on, knowing that every second counted if he wanted to save his Clan. He ran through brambles and bushes, never slowing. He was running so fast, he narrowly missed running head first into trees.

Swiftwind raced across MysticClan territory. Before reaching the camp, he veered off towards the northern border. He soon crossed out of familiar land. Letting his nose guide him in the unfamiliar territory, he put on more speed even though he had almost reached the point of exhaustion. He burst out of the forest into a clearing, and collapsed in a huffing and puffing pile of tabby fur. Swiftwind raised his head to meet the curious and startled gaze of the wolves.

"_What's this?" _snarled a large brown and white wolf. _"A cat has stumbled onto our territory…He will make a fine meal for our pups."_

"_No!" _barked an even bigger black one. He cuffed the brown and white male sharply with one paw. _"He bares the scent of MysticClan, who saved my son one moon ago. You will not harm this cat. Do you understand, Whitepatch?" _Whitepatch growled low, but nodded and stalked away.

A young gray wolf stepped forward. He looked down at Swiftwind in surprise. The Clan cat stared back, digging through his memory for the name of this familiar wolf. _Grayfrost! That's it!_

"_Father, I know this cat. He is Swiftwind. I met him when our Pack and his Clan were patrolling borders at the same time. He was with Wolfpaw then. I can smell fear on him…The fear of many cats," _Grayfrost said, becoming very worried. If Swiftwind was here alone, without Wolfpaw to translate for him, something horrible must have happened to her.

"_Goldstreak, fetch this cat some herbs to replenish his strength. Perhaps then he can lead us to help Wolfpaw and these other cats," _the black wolf barked to an elderly white wolf with golden stripes of fur on her coat. She quickly did as she was told.

While Swiftwind was eating the herbs (trying not to make to horrible a face at the awful taste), the black leader, as he had deciphered from the behavior of the wolves, issued out orders to his pack. Swiftwind shakily got to his paws. He could literally feel his strength returning. The black leader stepped forward with seven other wolves, including the golden streaked wolf, Grayfrost, and the other two wolves he had met on patrol with Wolfpaw, Snowpebble and Stormcloud.

He was jolted suddenly by how much the wolf Stormcloud looked like the cat Stormcloud, the deputy of MoonClan. If it weren't for the fact that they were of different species, they could have been brothers. _They even share the same name! How can this be? _He said to himself. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Swiftwind nodded to the wolves, then took off through the forest, with the wolves close behind, back to Four Rocks.

-----

The bears were proving to be too strong, tossing cats aside with one swipe of their massive paws. Although Emberpaw and Wolfpaw had tried to stay near each other, they had become separated when a bear had attacked them. Emberpaw whirled around and around, frantically searching for her sister.

A shrill yowl came to her through all the chaos, "Help us!" Emberpaw tried to pinpoint where it had come from. She had to find her sister! A loud snarl caused her to whip around. A bear was reaching for her, its claws outstretched and fangs bared, both covered in the blood of cats. Emberpaw was frozen with fear. She could only watch as those horrible teeth came towards her. Suddenly, a dark brown cat slammed into her side, knocking her out of harms way. The bear's jaws closed around it, teeth sinking into the cat's sides. It through the cat away, and as its limp body hit the side of Four Rocks, Emberpaw caught a glimpse of white on its chest. Her heart was filled with fear, grief, rage, and hatred, for the cat that had leapt into the bear's jaws was Wolfpaw.

With a yowl of pure fury, Emberpaw sprang at the bear. She landed on its face, and she slashed down with one paw, claws unsheathed, into its eye. The monster roared with pain and swung its head around, but she hung on, clamping her teeth into the beast's ear. The bear shook his head furiously, dislodging Emberpaw and throwing her to the ground. The landing knocked the wind out of her. She laid there gasping for air and the beast approached her. It raised one paw up into the air. _StarClan, this is it! I'm finished!_

Just as the bear started to bring his paw downward, a howl rang through the clearing and a gray form latched onto the bear's throat, knocking it backwards. Her heart leapt with joy. _Grayfrost!_ The wolf bit down hard, instantly killing the bear. Blackfire and several other wolves raced past and into the fray. A she-wolf with golden streaks stopped to stand beside Emberpaw. She seemed to give off the same calmness that Solarwind did, and Emberpaw instantly labeled her as the wolf version of a medicine cat. Emberpaw flicked her tail at Wolfpaw, indicating that the wolf should help her first. The wolf got the hint and loped over to the fallen cat.

Frostpaw was already there, trying both to defend Wolfpaw and take care of her at the same time. Frostpaw looked up at the wolf and wondered how she could tell her what happened when their eyes locked and a voice spoke to her. _'Do not fear. I am Goldstreak, healer wolf of FirePack. SpiritPack told me I should help the blue furred healer.' _

The voice seemed to come from inside her head instead of coming from around her. It was almost as if the wolf, Goldstreak, was thinking this to her. _'Stay here and defend Wolfpaw. I need to get her something,' _she thought back to the wolf, who nodded and turned to face the nearest bear.

Frostpaw raced out of the clearing, narrowly escaping the snapping jaws of a bear. She knew what she had to find. It wasn't something that Solarwind had taught her about, it was something that she knew would save her sister in her heart. She ran to the stream in MysticClan territory and along it until she came to a bush that was 5 tail-lengths tall. It was the pokeberry, something she had been warned to stay away from because their berries are poisonous. But something told her that the leaves from it were safe. She carefully avoided touching the deep purple berries and grabbed a few leaves, along with a cobweb that was in it. She whirled and raced back, briefly stopping to grab some marigold. Then she continued on, hoping she would arrive in time.

With the arrival of the wolves, the odds seemed to turn in favor of the Clan cats. The wolves worked perfectly as a team, snapping at the heels and noses of the bears. The cats quickly picked up on this technique and started to fight in groups of four or five instead of alone or with only one other cat. The bears were driven back by the wolves and cats towards the forest.

Suddenly, the largest of the bears charged forward at Stormcloud. The MoonClan deputy couldn't get out of the way fast enough. The bear was about to kill him when a black and white wolf sprang at the bear, latching onto the bear's paw. Both the wolf and the cat froze, as they experienced the feeling of looking into a mirror. Just then, the bear buried its teeth into the wolf's neck. A yowl rose from the cat at he launched himself toward the bear's nose, raking his claws across it. The bear let go and aimed his next attack at the MoonClan deputy. He brought a massive paw down onto the cat the same instant as the wolf swung his head around and bit into the bear's throat. The bear let out a choked roar, and fell. Its sharp claws fell onto the cat, while its entire body landed on the wolf.

**Cliffhanger! Yippee!!**

**By the way, above I wrote about pokeberry bushes. They do exist, and they are highly poisonous. ****Do not under any circumstance eat anything that you don't know what it is. ****The berries are extremely poisonous, and the only time that the leaves are safe to eat is when they have had all the toxins boiled out of them. I may have used them here as a medicine, but ****that doesn't mean they're safe. Please do not eat anything that you find in nature and don't recognize, and don't go trying out any part of the pokeberry bush to see if I'm right.**** If you don't believe me, then look it up on Wikipedia or any other search engine!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Aftermath

Every animal in the clearing froze, staring at the three still forms. The bears were the first to move. With the loss of their leader, they whirled and loped off into the forest. Blackfire and Snowpebble approached the dead bear. Together, they dragged its body off the black and white wolf and cat. Neither of them moved. A cry of grief rose up from the cats as they realized the MoonClan deputy was on his way to StarClan. The black alpha wolf threw his head back and howled, and the rest of the wolves followed suit, singing to the spirit of the wolf as his spirit made its way to the paths that SpiritPack walked.

Frostpaw raced into the clearing to see both the cats and the wolves grieving. She padded silently but quickly over the Goldstreak and looked up at her. Once more, their eyes locked. _'What happened? Is Wolfpaw still alive?'_ she thought to the wolf.

'_The wolf-speaker is still alive, but just barely. Stormcloud has been killed, and his black and white cat twin. They died at the same instant, but they killed the leader of the bears at the same time. Now there is no more time to talk. Save your sister.' _Goldstreak licked Wolfpaw's side. Frostpaw could see her sister breathing, but it was so faint…

Going on instinct, she chewed both the pokeberry leaves and the marigold up together until they became a pulp. She carefully pried Wolfpaw's mouth open and fed it to her and massaged her throat and sides to help her swallow. As soon as Wolfpaw did, Frostpaw quickly mixed in more marigolds and applied it to the wounds and put the cobweb on the hold the pulp in place.

Solarwind, who had been watching all this in silence, padded up next to Frostpaw and sat down. She brushed her tail against Frostpaw's shoulder and mewed into her ear, "It is in StarClan's paws now."

Emberpaw had been sitting silently next to her sister now mewled quietly, "It's my fault. If only I moved she wouldn't be like this. It will be my fault if she dies!" Skysong gently pulled her kit next to her and started to wash her.

"She can't die," whispered Frostpaw. "She can't…" She was watching her sister's breathing, how slow and ragged it was. _Please, StarClan, don't take her. _Then, the slow rise and fall of Wolfpaw's sides suddenly stopped.

Skysong's wail echoed throughout the clearing. "WOLFPAW!" Every cat and wolf turned to look.

Grayfrost padded over and looked down upon the small scrap of dark brown fur. She seemed so small to him now. For the short time that he knew her, Grayfrost was able to see just how strong of a will Wolfpaw had. But now, with her lying battered and still, she seemed so tiny.

Swiftwind stepped forward and nudged her shoulder. _She can't be dead. She can't be…_

Frostpaw stood up on shaky legs. Emberpaw had pulled away from her mother and was now staring down at her younger sister. Each one blamed herself for Wolfpaw's death.

_It's my fault. Why couldn't I get out of the way? The blame is on my shoulders…_

_I'm so stupid! Why did I give her those leaves? I should've known better, and now my sister is dead because of my foolishness._

-----

Wolfpaw walked along a path that seemed to be made of stars. She felt as light as air, and she glided along, her paws barely touched the path. She stopped in front of two forms. They seemed to be identical twins in color, except one was a wolf and the other was a cat.

"_Stormcloud! And…Storm…cloud?" she asked, very confused. _

_Both of them smiled. The wolf Stormcloud said, "Yes, both of us are named that…"_

"_Because we are one spirit," finished the cat Stormcloud._

_With that, the wolf and cat shimmered, and there was only one being in front of her. It seemed to be the cross between a cat and a wolf, and yet it was still two separate beings. It seemed to shift back and forth endlessly and so seamlessly that it seemed to be the same creature. The single Stormcloud smiled kindly at her._

"_The spirits who live in this world, wolf and cat alike, knew of the coming attack of the bears well before hand. We tried to prevent it, but we knew that what was to come was unstoppable. Your ancestors knew that in order to defeat them, cats needed to work together with wolves. They needed one spirit who belonged to both a Clan and a Pack. I volunteered to return to your world even though I knew it was only to die. But I realized that in dying, I would be saving many and giving life to others who have not yet been born. I must leave now, but I will walk as often as I can in your dreams."_

"_But…How can you do that? I'm dead, right?" _

_Stormcloud didn't seem to hear her, or he just chose to ignore it. He turned and padded off into the mist. Wolfpaw stood watching after him, confused. She knew she hadn't reached StarClan yet, and was about to follow when a new figure seemed to materialize right out of the mist. It was a cat. His pelt was dark brown, and his eyes were such a pale blue that they seemed to be white. His name suddenly came to Wolfpaw._

"_Moonseeker!"_

"_That is correct, my daughter."_

"_Are you going to take me to StarClan?" she mewed, her eyes filled with sadness at the thought of leaving her dear family behind._

_Moonseeker licked the top of her head. "No, little one. It was not your time to join us. Go back. Your sister has found a way to save you. You can't leave them behind yet, can you? Go back…"He vanished back into the mist._

_Just then, a foul taste entered her mouth and she shook her head violently in hopes of getting rid of it._

_-----_

Wolfpaw ice blue eyes shot open and she gasped for air as though she had been running for a long time. Frostpaw shrieked with surprise, and then with joy. Emberpaw looked up from where she was trying to comfort her mother and sprang to her paws.

"Mom, look! Wolfpaw's alive!" she yowled across the clearing.

Skysong glanced up, and through her tears she could see her dark brown kit turning her head this way and that, as though trying to figure out what happened. Skysong leapt up and was about to smother her daughter with licks when Solarwind stepped in front of her. "She is still injured. We can't move her until her wounds have healed up more." Skysong just nodded and pushed past her so she could sit next to Wolfpaw's side.

Wolfpaw looked up at Frostpaw's stunned expression. "What on earth did you feed me?! It tasted horrible!" she meowed, trying to look fierce but not succeeding at it.

"_It is good to have you back, wolf-speaker," _Goldstreak said to her.

"_Thanks. Um…do I know you?" _Wolfpaw asked, hoping she didn't sound too offensive.

Grayfrost laughed in his own wolfish way and answer for Goldstreak. _"This is Goldstreak, our healer wolf. I'm glad that your StarClan didn't want to take you yet. I would've missed you a lot."_

"_I would've missed you too."_

"Okay, everybody, back to their Clans or Packs or whatever. Wolfpaw needs to be left alone," meowed Solarwind. "That includes you," she added looking pointedly at Emberpaw and Skysong. Emberpaw was about to protest when her mother nudged her away.

Cats began filing out of the clearing. Blackfire approached Wolfpaw. _"We are glad that you have survived. You are much stronger than you think. And I'm certain that you sister helped a lot as well." _He nodded to Frostpaw. _"Please come and tell us when you get better. We will be waiting anxiously to hear from you."_

"_And please let us know when you'll be receiving your warrior name," _Grayfrost added, his tail wagging.

"Shoo," Solarwind reprimanded the wolves, stepping between them and Wolfpaw. Even though they couldn't understand what she said, the wolves exchanged amused glances, then turned and picked up the body of their fallen Packmate and carried him out of the clearing.

"Now you get some rest," she gently ordered Wolfpaw. Wolfpaw closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately. Frostpaw curled up next to her sister, being careful not to move her, and drifted off to sleep soon after.

Solarwind sat watching them. She turned her gaze up to the stars overhead. "Thank you," she whispered. A light breeze picked up, and the swishing leaves of the trees seemed to say, _"You welcome."_

**Yay! Wolfpaw's alive! Aren't ya glad? And for those of you who still don't get it, Stormcloud was a warrior ancestor. When he heard of the trouble that would befall the forest, he willingly decided to become two separate spirits to live in two different places. He knew that it would take to strength of a wolf and the speed of a cat to bring down the bear, even though it meant he would have to die once more. **

**And I've said it once, and I'll say it again, DO NOT EAT ANY PLANT IN NATURE THAT YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

Epilogue 

The crescent moon slid through the trees above MysticClan camp. Winterstorm and Skysong were lying outside of the warriors' den. Both of them were struggling to keep their excitement from bursting out of them. Mossear, Mistmoon, and Turtleshell sat in front of their den whispering to each other.

"I can't believe they're actually going to allow those _relatives_ of _dogs_ into our camp," growled Mossear.

Mistmoon flicked her tail against the older cat's shoulder. "You know that they helped to save the Clans from those bears, right?"

"The wolves helped us. They have a right to be here. But, Mistmoon, what's all this about them saving us from pears?" Turtleshell asked.

Hawkwing, who was sitting quietly at the foot of the Great Rock, turned to look at the rustling brush along the northern side of the camp. Blackfire, Birdwing, Grayfrost, Snowpebble, and Goldstreak emerged and nodded respectfully to the deputy. Grayfrost immediately went off in search of Wolfpaw. He found her and her sisters sitting outside of the apprentices' den.

"_We got your message," _Grayfrost said. It was good to see Wolfpaw looking so well. Most of her injuries had healed up, and her fur was growing back and it obscured any scars that she still had. _"I missed seeing you for so long."_

"_I'm glad that you were able to make it. It wouldn't have been right for us to become warriors if all of our friends weren't here to witness it," _Wolfpaw replied, a broad smile on her face.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey meet here beneath the Great Rock!" Aquastar yowled.

The warriors still inside the den filtered out, while Winterstorm and Skysong got as close as they could to the Great Rock. The three apprentices joined their mentors at the foot of the Rock. Aquastar jumped down and told Wolfpaw to tell the wolves that they could sit next to the Great Rock. When Snowdrift and her kits came out of the nursery, Solarkit immediately raced over to see the wolves. She had never seen one before and desperately wanted to meet them.

"Solarkit! Get back here!" meowed Snowdrift. Solarkit turned her head to look back, but didn't stop and ran right into Blackfire's leg. She looked up in awe and fear at the massive wolf, who merely dipped his head and nudged her back to her mother.

Aquastar watched her with a smile as the kit trotted back over to gloat to Icekit that she was to scared to meet the wolves. Then she turned to the wolves.

"You helped us when we were in danger. MysticClan thanks you," she said and Wolfpaw quickly translated.

Blackfire stood and bowed his head to her, and nodded to Wolfpaw to be ready to translate again. _"You first helped us when my pup was dying. We were merely doing the right thing."_

Aquastar dipped her head respectfully to the FirePack alpha, then turned to her Clan. "I also must thank Swiftwind, for if he hadn't raced as fast as he did in search of help, all the Clans may have been destroyed by the bears." The young tabby warrior dipped his head and looked a little bashful at the thanks he was receiving from his leader.

At last, Aquastar returned her attention to the six cats who stood in front of her. "It is time for these three to receive their warrior names. Solarwind, while a medicine cat's time of learning never truly ends, do you believe that it is time for Frostpaw to receive her name?"

"I do."

"And Frostpaw, and you prepared to take on all the duties of a medicine cat?"

"I am ready, Aquastar."

"Then from now on, you will be known as Frostbite, in honor of how you saved Wolfpaw from dying."

She next turned to Emberpaw and Shadowfire. "Shadowfire, do you believe Emberpaw is ready to become a warrior?"

"I do."

"And Emberpaw, are you ready to accept all the responsibilities of becoming a warrior?"

"I am ready to become a warrior, Aquastar."

"Then from now on, you will be known as Emberflame, in honor of how you fought with the bravery and strength of a raging fire to defend your sister even though your opponent was much bigger than you."

Wolfpaw, who had been quietly translating all of this, now fell silent. Rockfire flicked his tail against her side and smiled at her.

"Rockfire, do you believe that Wolfpaw is ready to become a warrior?"

"I do."

"And, Wolfpaw, are you ready to accept all the responsibilities of being a warrior?"

"I am ready to become a warrior, Aquastar."

"Then from now on, you will be known as Wolfheart, in honor of your ability and your bravery." She looked at the two new warriors and the new medicine cat. "Never forget all that you have learned. I ask that StarClan watch over you and guide your paw steps."

The cats of MysticClan yowled the names of the newest warriors. "Frostbite! Emberflame! Wolfheart!" Even the wolves howled to welcome the new warriors and medicine cat.

Wolfheart and Emberflame made their way to the camp entrance to sit their silent vigil. The wolves followed them out, each one nodding to the two warriors. Grayfrost stopped and nuzzled Wolfheart and Emberflame. _"Feel free to visit whenever you can. Even though our debts have been repaid, we wolves always remain loyal to our friends."_

Wolfheart and Emberflame watched as the wolves bounded away back to their own territory. They exchanged glances, and although they weren't allowed to speak, it was very clear about what the other was thinking. They looked back into the camp at Frostbite, who waved her tail in greeting before slipping into the medicine cats' den.

They looked up to the stars. A small breeze picked up. Wolfheart could imagine her father and Stormcloud looking down upon them with pride and joy. Emberflame's thoughts led her to her visions. A short one suddenly came to her, not as a warning of danger, but one of triumph and peace that had been brought to the forest by three cats: one with blue fur, one with orange fur, and one with dark brown fur. Everything seemed right in the forest that night, and they both hoped that it would continue on that way for a very long time.

**The End! I had fun with this one. There's even a drawing to go with it! Go onto my page and click on the link for devianart. Hope you like it and the story! If I get enough votes of confidence, maybe I'll write a sequel…**


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